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About Kalkan
The
small harbour town of Kalkan is one of the most picturesque in
Turkey. Enchanting narrow streets lead to cobbled alley-ways,
where stone houses sit on the front of the beautiful marina.
Kalkan hosts a white-washed mosque that bears testament to the
town’s Ottoman history. The pace is relaxed and unhurried; so it
is a delight to stroll by old whitewashed houses, with their
shuttered windows and timbered balconies full of flowers.
Traditional and informal Kalkan is full of charming boutiques,
restaurants and bars which ooze nostalgia of past eras. Close to
the town are the beautiful beaches of Kaputas and Patara, the
sea water here is so clear that it sparkles under the radiant
sun above.
Despite
the fact that it holds no historical artifacts, Kalkan, which is
connected to Kas, is a highly sought after tourism center. Known
as Kalamaki in ancient times, Kalkan is on the Kas-Fethiye
Highway, 25 kilometers out of Kas.
In the
population exchange of 1925, the people living here migrated to
either Greece or Australia. Those that left for Greece promptly
set up a village near Athens they named “Kalamaki” and continued
in their ways. Their children occasionally come and visit Kalkan
to catch up on things that hove taken place in their old
community. This provincial district, which up to recently had
derived its income from making soap and olive oil, has, thanks
to its spotless pensions and hotels and restaurants, which serve
up some delicious dishes, become a favorite stopover place for
blue voyagers. Yachts sailing past Yedi Burun, which sticks out
into the sea like a sharp point, can slip into Kalkan’s safe
harbor. Just as the town is able to meet all your provision
needs, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit the sites of
three important Lycian cities, Patara, Letoon and Xanthos all
within one day.
Tourists
staying in Kalkan can visit Kapitas Cave, which is located six
kilometers from the town. Measuring 50x40x15, the cave is rather
impressive by the way sunlight is reflected into the cave to
produce incredible hues of green and blue. The cave is big
enough to wander through it in a small motorboat, whereas there
is the nearby Kapitas Beach as well, which is an ideal spot to
take a dip in the sea.
Because
it shelters so many pigeons, the cave behind Ince Burun and two
kilometers from Kalkan is known as the Guvercinlik Sea Cave.
Both the small, narrow mouthed Guvercinlik ini and the Deniz
Cave are 100 meters from the Güvercinlik Cave. The road goes as
far as Inbas Cave, on the Bezirgan Village shoreline near
Kalkan. Kalkan is a good rest spot with its quaint whitewashed
buildings that have been turned into pensions and restaurants
over the past several years. They look fabulous in spring,
decked out with purple and red bougainvillea flowers.
Daily
excursions to nearby locations can be made from Kalkan. For
instance, a good place for trekking is the Bezirgan Plateau,
which is situated just above Kalkan. Ruins of an ancient city
called Pirha can be seen in the hills above the village of
Bezirgan, which is full of greenery.
Trekking
15 minutes from the village, one reaches the remains at a height
of 850 meters sea level. The mountain cliff is full of several
stonetombs. As for sarcophagi, they are seen scattered in a
sloppy manner. At Goldag, on the border of the two villages of
Bezirgan and Islamlar, one finds incredibly worked stone tombs
that are interconnected to each other. Exiting the village of
Bezirgan on the way to Gömbe, one encounters a Lycian house-type
tomb that has been carved into the rock opposite a plane tree.
This tomb, which was decorated with both inner and outer
reliefs, is currently in a damaged state.
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